Mercury Sable resides at the large end of the current mid-size scale. Its interior is spacious and pleasing, and by and large, its controls and instrumentation are contemporary, straightforward and easy to use. Its list of safety features is comprehensive, its five-star front impact rating from the federal government is unbeatable. Its trunk is capacious.

Sable even offers a real station-wagon variant, an increasingly rare choice in a market dominated by SUVs and minivans. But unlike those taller vehicles, the Sable wagon is every bit as fun to drive as the sedan, while still adding kid and cargo-hauling capacity.

In short, Mercury's Sable is a winner, with no reservations.